TIME'S TEACHERS

TIME'S TEACHERS

(Poem by G. Grant Smith, Revised by Jayson P. Smith)

Joy at times can fade like dusk of day,

And sorrow like a burning ball will dawn.

Giving light to all we hate and fear

Face these to rise return to laugh and cheer

As with time, joy's sun which once was gone

Returns, our darkest sorrows scare away!

We chase tomorrow, forget today,

Yet today, it's treasure is all we own.

A gift forgotten, alas forlorn

A pearled prize if lost to mourn

We own no tomorrows writ in stone

Today forgets us soon, e'er washed away

Moments are fleeting, blown like the breeze

But in each breath is life’s true lasting gift.

Pictures taken swirling in the soul

Each vision scrawled upon a neural scroll

For life’s gift is in each breath adrift

Though fleeting are the moments through the trees.

The past is gone, future sets to dream,

Yet dreams of future times will fade to gray.

For only now, in our time between

Is set the act of our important scene

Age shall dim our dreams which cannot stay

For past once stout shall sleep in slumbered scheme.

Sorrows though deep teach what joy forgets,

And joy reminds us what sorrows shall lose.

Give ear to these Teachers, hark and learn

Value their balance to them never spurn

For that which was lost, joy shall suffuse,

Sorrows shall flee when we turn from regrets.

My brother Grant sent me this poem for my birthday. He said he had a concept for a chiasmus poem, but struggled to get his words out. Ultimately, he turned to A.I. for help. I loved the concept of these dual teachers in each stanza. Originally, each stanza had only 4 lines and had no rhyme. I am a sucker for rhyme. I added the middle lines of each of the stanzas, made some rearranging, and made it rhyme. It now has internal chiasmus in each stanza and structural chiasmus using each stanza. I also made it have a 9-10 rhythm between each line to give a nice cadence. Enjoy!